So the Legacy begins
by Jaideum
Summary: As the celebrations end, and the reality of the losses of war settle, funerals are held for those fallen in battle. One such person is Severus Snape.


**Disclaimer: **I own my own ideas, yet nothing more.

_**Authors Note:**__ This was written for The Nursery Rhimes Inspiration Competition, set by Anka7995. My nursery rhyme was "Who Shot C**K Robbin. I've tried to incorporate the rhyme throughout the whole story, which I hope I have succeeded at doing. This story was Beta'd by the lovely _The Dork Lord._ Feel free to have a look at everything she's been up to, you'll be sorry you didn't. As for this little piece, comments are always appreciated, especially if they are constructive! I hope you enjoy the story._

**So the Legacy Begins**

The celebrations came to an end, and with it, the feeling of victory. In its place grew a sense of loss and sadness for those who would not, by any earthly means, be able to share in the joys of a war at its end.

In that time, many a tear was shed beside the lowering caskets of loved ones passed. For is it not the one's left behind who truly suffer as those they held dear are laid to rest.

However, there were those who had no one to bury their body, or cry for them. Such a person was Severus Snape. He was a man who would be remembered by most, not for his bravery or sacrifice, but for his hatred and loathing of those around him. In the end, his good deeds would go unnoticed by most, as is with people; they tend to focus on the negative characteristics of others in order to give themselves a feeling of superiority.

That is to say that most people would remember the negatives. Some, however, such as the three who witnessed the tragic death of Severus Snape at the hands of one who thought himself a god, would remember something else. The dying man's gaze and the liquid that drained from his mind as he completed his final task in handing the last puzzle piece to the boy who would save them all would haunt them.

Harry Potter, the boy who did save them all, was the one who would think of the former Headmaster with a newfound respect. He would be the one to arrange for a funeral to be held, and he would be the last to visit the body before the coffin's lid was closed. He would hesitate in the act of placing a vile filled with nothing more than one memory, a memory containing a red-head Harry had been fortunate enough to have as a mother, next to the man who could be sleeping. In that moment of hesitation he would wonder if the man he had once despised was now able to finally let go of all of his own hatred, but as the thought passed and the vile was lowered, Harry could only bow his head in silence in honor of a man he never truly understood.

Hermione Granger was the one who chose the cloak. For Severus Snape had few friends, and even less people who would care enough to make any effort for his departure. She chose, as best she thought, a cloak of the deepest black. Upon handing it to those responsible for preparing the body, she thought of wars and what they did to people, and she thought of the Professor who had been protecting them all along.

Ronald Weasley had been the one to suggest the Hogwarts grounds as the final resting place of the former Professor and Headmaster. In a rare moment of insight, he had remembered the words once spoken by his best friend, and the feeling that Hogwarts was home. It was this thought that brought him to the conclusion that the grave should be dug in a place lost souls could always find refuge within, and a lost soul Severus Snape had indeed been.

The ceremony was held by a man unknown to those present. Many had been asked to perform this act, but they had all refused. Some notions were simply unflappable, and the fear that no change in attitude would come with the newfound time of peace, was a legitimate one.

It was for this reason that Harry Potter had to fight for Severus Snape's portrait to find a place in the Headmaster's office, yet that would remain an event for another time.

At the funeral, Narcissa Malfoy is most likely one of the few people who attended willingly and for once portrayed true emotions. As she mourned the loss of a man she considered a friend, she could only thank him for what he had done for her son when everyone else had abandoned him.

The coffin was carried out into the daylight by magic, as was tradition, but no music was played, as requested by those who had arranged the funeral. Instead, all remained quiet, silence as deadly as the dead's gaze filled those surrounding the coffin.

With the toll of a bell, the coffin was lowered into the ground and the funeral drew to a close. Thus the legacy of Severus Snape begun...


End file.
